SINGAPORE: The regional wing of Singapore Airlines (SIA), SilkAir, will be launching the first non-stop flight between Singapore and Hiroshima in October this year.

According to a press release on Tuesday (May 30), the airline will launch the service on Oct 30 and it will run three times a week on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays. It will be operated with SilkAir's Boeing 737-800 aircraft, which features both business and economy class cabins, it added.
The flights departing Singapore will be at 1.45am and will reach Hiroshima at 9.30am, while those leaving Hiroshima will be at 10.25am, and will reach Singapore at 3.40pm.

"Hiroshima has been popular with Singaporeans, due to its historical significance, good weather and proximity to various attractions in neighbouring cities,” said SilkAir CEO Foo Chai Woo. “SilkAir is proud to be offering the only non-stop flights between Hiroshima and Singapore, and we are confident that we can serve the demand from both cities."

With the launch of Hiroshima, the combined Singapore Airlines-SilkAir network will serve a total of six Japanese cities - two airports in Tokyo, Fukuoka, Nagoya and Osaka, according to the press release.

Guess the current strategy is to fly non-stop to cities that no other airline is offering a direct service, in order to reap a "monopoly" premium. It won't be high a very high density route but they won't need to worry about too much from strong competition.

But I'm not sure if I'm keen to fly 6 hours on a 737. I've done that between JFK and SEA - it's not fun and helps if you've books or personal entertainment or sleep to distract you.

But I'm not sure if I'm keen to fly 6 hours on a 737. I've done that between JFK and SEA - it's not fun and helps if you've books or personal entertainment or sleep to distract you.

Funny you should say that. I use to think so too but I've just flown Delta between JFK and MSY and came off their planes completely impressed with the inflight product (experience on the ground is something else)

Leatherette seats that not only recline but the seat slides forward when you do
Premium economy option (which I took)
Seat back IFE with SQ like choices on touch screen

This is what MI should offer
Currently seats uncomfortable, crummy IFE

They must follow Delta aircraft or it's an awful experience getting off an SQ flight into SQ Regional

SilkAir to use new 737 MAX fleet to improve premium product, launch Hiroshima and upgrade Cairns

SilkAir is opening new medium haul routes and upgrading its premium product as it takes delivery of the new generation 737 MAX 8. The Singapore Airlines full service regional subsidiary is one of the first operators of the 737 MAX, with first delivery scheduled for Sep-2017.

The airline is using its initial batch of 737 MAX 8s to launch services to Hiroshima, which will become the airline’s first destination in Japan at the end of Oct-2017. The airline will also use the 737 MAX 8 to serve Cairns, which is the airline’s longest route and is being upgraded to five year-round frequencies as the MAX is introduced. Bangalore and Hyderabad round out the initial batch of routes to be permanently operated with the 737 MAX.

The 737 MAX 8 provides the SIA Group with a new platform to access long thin markets that are too small for SIA widebodies and cannot be economically served with current generation narrowbody aircraft.

As SilkAir pushes into longer routes, it is introducing an improved business class product, a sensible move given the much better premium product offered on similar routes by its parent. However, the product gap between SIA and SilkAir will remain wide – perhaps too wide given the increasing number of longer routes SilkAir will take on as it expands the 737 MAX fleet.

Wonder what premium product Silk Air will launch? Will we see something like JetBlue's Mint product with lie-flat beds? Or perhaps all aisle access in business class which Malaysia Airlines is reported to be interested in for its B737 MAX 10?

Quote:

From Singapore the 737 MAX 8 will have the range to serve Kazakhstan (both Almaty and Astana), Madagascar (Antantarivo), all of Australia (including Sydney and Tasmania) and Sapporo on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido. There are several other routes from Singapore which are just within the range of the 737-800 but are more likely to be viable with the 737 MAX 8 – including the US island of Guam, Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea, Busan in South Korea, Ulan Bator in Mongolia, Harbin in China and Hiroshima in Japan.